Opinions on gamewardens decoys

[chevy]

I want to know what your opinions are on the g/w's using deer,elk,moose whatever decoys to catch guys shooting off the roads and across roads and out their windows of their trucks and at night

Do you think it is right or wrong?

Last week the g/w's had caught from what i understand is 37 hunters shooting at a bull elk on the last day of the elk season Oct-20/06 in the kootenays and giving them fines and whatever else they got. Is this right or wrong some guys that i had talked to do not agree with it at all they think it is entrapment, i myself am not sure i agree with it to a point, but i would only agree if the gamewardens did it the day after the season closed and catch the guys who do it then but not during the actual season, but then again i say if you shoot an animal after dark or out of vehicle,across road,off of vehicle,out of season and get caught i think you should lose your hunting licence and get a hefty fine.....
let me know what you think?

[ratherbefishin]

of course its entrapment-but I have little sympathy for the guy who pitlamps,and if it takes a decoy to get them, so be it.Once I was hunting in the Kootneys and we could look across the valley see trucks cruising the logging roads at night.Trying to catch a pitlamper in the act is almost impossable-setting up a decoy and sitting back and wait for them to break the law makes sense-nobody forced them to shoot.

[chevy]

well put ratherbefishin i agree with the pitlampin at night but they are catching these guys in the middle of the day, it may just be a rumor but i believe if you get caught you should lose your licence forever!

[416]

I thought you meant using the game wardens decoys and was trying to figure out what kind animals they would attract! :)

[Marc]

If they were fined then they obviously where breaking the law. Do I agree with it? Yes I do. You know when you're breaking the law, it doesn't matter if your hunting or speeding down the road. If you're willing to take your chances, then you better be willing to suffer the consequences if you get caught. It would defanitely make you think twice of braking the law again. Play by the book and you've got nothing to worry about. When it comes to the law ignorance is no excuse.

Marc.

[boxhitch]

So you're suggesting the law enforcement shouldn't take place during the regular season ? only after ? Some laws are ok but others are not?
IMO poachers are thieves. The rules are for everyone.

[Fisher-Dude]

It's a great idea. The COs have a tough enough job, I think they need all the tools they can get to catch the *******s stealing our game. They caught some yahoo here last year shooting a 2x3 muley decoy, out the window of his car, in 4 point season. To top it all off, he'd already dumped another muley in Reg 8, so he had no tag either. Guys like this deserve to get the book thrown at them.

As for entrapment...follow the rules, and you'll never be "entrapped". Chevy, ask any of those guys who are crying entrapment if they have a problem with the bait car program too. Poachers are thieves just like the junkies who steal your truck.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I'm completely in favor of the decoys.
It's pretty disgusting the action they can generate. :mad:


SSS

[Gateholio]

It's not "entrapment" the way it is legally defined.

Put simply, the CO's did not attemt to coerce the people into breaking the law, they broke the law on thier own.

There isn't much room for debate on whether the 'trap' is rigth or wrong.

A slick lawyer could probably make a case that his client was not actually hunting, his client was shooting at a stuffed deer. But having a loaded firearm in a vehicle is a federal crime, anyway.

[mark]

So if the elk decoy was a legal 6 point, the season was still open, and it was day time. What laws exactly were broken and fined for???? They used to do this in 100 mile years ago, set up a decoy at night, they busted guys as fast as they could clear the path again. Its pretty sad, they need tougher laws to prevent this crap!

[mainland hunter]

shooting out of the vehicle

[Marc]

Mark, I'm guessing either it was a no hunting Zone or posted private property.

[chevy]

the elk was a 6 point and yes the middle of the day but they were shooting out the windows of the trucks and across the road one guy actually had the balls to shoot out his window across the road and to top it all off his truck had no insurance on it and he was driving with a suspended licence, i also agree with the whole decoy thing it's a great idea it catches all those dip sh!t (sh@t) wannabe big time hunters who think they are the best hunters out there, this guy got almost $3800.00 in fines i say good for the idiot, he should lose his licence all his firearms and other hunting stuff forever then embarrass him by putting him in all the local papers then maybe he will think twice about doing it again.

[Marc]

shooting out of the vehicle

or that too:biggrin:

[chevy]

it wasn't private property it was actually crown land but all i gotta say is honestly how stupid do you have to be to do it during the middle of the day? and the guy that got caught doing this, had a suspended licence from doing it once before. he got caught pitlamping about 3 weeks earlier, hunting in the headlights well thats just another story of it's own, i honestly hear more gunshots when im camping at night than i do during daylight hours.

[moosecaller]

Stuffed or not under the law "intent" is the key if they intended to do something illegal eg: shoot at night, shoot from a vehicle, etc. then a conviction is a sure thing. Setting up stings for drug dealers, as mentioned about bait cars it is all good and legal under the law.

[chevy]

to make matters worse the guys doing it at night are driving into road closures to do it. thinking that they can get away with it if i hear gunshots at night i call the g/w's and let them know.

[quadrakid]

what,s to disagree with??? there catching the assholes amongst us, who give us all a bad name. i,m sick of guys who pitlamp or use rifles where its illegal and set their own limits as to how many deer etc they feel they can shoot. i,m sorry but there is still way too much bullcrap going on in the woods and the co,s have few tools to do their job, unless hunters rat out the bad eggs amongst us the co,s have a tough time, they need more good tools to weed out the poachers, and i used to like to say they are poachers not hunters but more often than not the guys shooting at decoys are hunters ,just like you and me most of the time but willing to break the law when the opportunity presents itself. if you play by the rules you will suddenly realise that the co,s are not the bad guys, there the good guys.

[timberhunter]

Poaching is poaching, no matter which way you cut it. If you break a wildlife law you take your chances. And they are robbing game and opportunities right out of yours and my pocket.

As far as entrapment. You would also have to say that a cop using a radar gun is entrapment as well. He would never know you are speeding if he didn't set up a radar TRAP.

Nope I say fine them, take away their hunting licenses and firearms. If a guy is dumb enough to do it once, I'd put money down he'd be dumb enough to do it twice.

I have a friend who works for the wildlife branch. He was saying that they busted a lot of quad riders lately, riding with loaded rifles. Dumb dumb and dumber. Hmmm its against the law to ride in a vehicle with a loaded gun, but not on my quad :| . Another example of people taking dumb chances, and getting busted for their stupidity. I always have a rifle on my quad, but never would I be dumb enough to have it loaded.

The hunting regs are in all the stores. They are free. They are there so you know the rules and regs. How much easier is it than that. There's no exscuse for ignorance of the game laws, all it takes is a little reading. And common sence.

Marc S.

[Hank Hunter]

I am not sure what the ? is here. I say more power to them. Anyone caught shooting after legal light or from vehicles, across roads etc, deserve to be caught and have their hunting, firearms priviliges taken away.The Gws are so understaffed it is pathetic, let them use whatever. If you are an honest hunter then NO FEAR.

[browningboy]

Our laws are too laxed, they need to come down hard on "poachers" that are straight out breaking the law, take thier means of transport away, guns away, and fined a hefty sum, if you just fine hime 500.00, who cares thats nothing, he'll keep on doing the same thing. Fine should be min 25K.

[GoatGuy]

the elk was a 6 point and yes the middle of the day

I call BS. Never heard of the CO's putting a legal animal out during the daylight to try to catch guys shooting out of their trucks. Maybe on private land but not under the circumstances you describe.

If people you know are complaining about CO's setting up decoys I'd question their ethics and integrity as hunters. Usually the ones that are complaining and getting angry are the ones breaking the law.

[Krico]

I agree with this 100%. And no it is not entrapment, the poachers were not coerced, they did it on their own. It would be different if the officers were plain clothed waiting on the road, waving down hunters saying "Look at that Elk, do you have a gun? Shoot it!"

[tmarschall]

A few years ago there was a very nice buck in a fenced enclosire in a state park here, bordering a highly used highway. Many folks, including hunters would stop just to look at this beautiful animal, me included. Then one day, in the middle of the day, some idiot stops, pokes a rifle out the window and shoots it, speeds away. Another car comes over the hill, sees the animal in the field kicking on the ground, draws a quick conclusion and gets the license of the vehicle speeding away. The poacher thinks he gets away, makes it 16 miles down the road to town, pulls in to the quickstop to get gas. It just so happens that there was a game warden (CO) sitting and having some coffee at this same quickstop. The call had just come over his radio with the license and discription of the vehicle. He calmly walks out and arrests the dude. When all said and done, it cost the poacher $12,000, loss of rifle and vehicle! Here, any equipment used in the act of poaching can be forfeited.

[oldtimer]

I agree with the use of decoys completely. If you follow the rules you have nothing to worry about. I know they use them here ,mainly deer on private property along west fraser road. I think one guy who got caught lost his hunting privileges for 3 years. Mike

[Steeleco]

"Play with fire your going to get burned"
I wish they had reserve C/O's like they do RCMP, I'd love to help.

[Elkaholic]

They also have a monster 7 pt elk that they put off of a secondary paved road, where you have to be 15 meters off the road before you shoot. IMO if you take the risk and shoot it, you will have to deal with the punishment. I know a person in Cranbrook shot the 7pt but was the legal distance off the road and was asked to kindly leave. I love the decoys, there are alot of idiots out there ruining the sport for us. I think we also need more CO's and game checks out there.

[ramcam]

Chevy. I am from your area and I know the guy you are talking about. Not his first scrape with the COS is it . ya he deserves everything he gets.I agree it is a definite trap but who controls who pulls the trigger? We do. Laws are laws. I watched one guy shoot the decoy while standing on tha pavement, Iasked him later what he got and then the stories started about how he was just about legal. Just about not really, it is black and white legal or not legal.

[Gateholio]

I agree with this 100%. And no it is not entrapment, the poachers were not coerced, they did it on their own. It would be different if the officers were plain clothed waiting on the road, waving down hunters saying "Look at that Elk, do you have a gun? Shoot it!"


HAHHAHA....

That woudl be awesome.:lol:

[Islandeer]

We saw a whitey decoy up jafry way last year. I think it is a usefull tool and not entrapment. The rules are pretty clear regarding posted and or pavement clearances.

[30-06]

they use them on the "Last" day of the season.

[eastkoot]

I saw going out the last evening and was following a vehicle that stopped and shot at it. Have to admit it looks pretty real standing on the edge of the timber but I knew something was up as I NEVER see a 6 point standing on the side of the road 2 hours before the season closes!!!! Mark, shooting from vehicle, across the roadway, leaning on the truck (remember the discussion) and some didn't have tags etc. etc. Be careful out there and be legal, someone is always watching!!!

[willy442]

If they were fined then they obviously where breaking the law. Do I agree with it? Yes I do. You know when you're breaking the law, it doesn't matter if your hunting or speeding down the road. If you're willing to take your chances, then you better be willing to suffer the consequences if you get caught. It would defanitely make you think twice of braking the law again. Play by the book and you've got nothing to worry about. When it comes to the law ignorance is no excuse.

Marc.

Well said Mark. The thing that amaze's me is these guy's that shoot at C.O.s decoy's will empty thier rifles almost every time!

[abbyfireguy]

Apparently we should be extra carefully packing out a rack...Don't want to get shot by one of these mental midgets.....
shhoting at animals after a season closes or obvious deficiencies in points should have the book thrown at them...

[greybark]

:roll: Several years ago two CO`s from the Chilliwack office set up a decoy deer at night on the Silver/Skagit road and quickly made several arrests of poachers shooting at night with the aid of their vehicals headlights . Two of the poachers were resting their rifles on the truck hood and were in the process of shooting at the decoy when the CO`s approached them , ID themselves and yelled at them to stop shooting . The poachers still locked into their intent on getting that buck ignored the approaching CO`s and started to fire at a faster pace thinking that someone else would get the deer before them . Not only Poachers but greedy Poachers .

[bsa30-06]

I ran into a co for the first time in 5 years this year he was very friendly and polite looked over my license congratulated me on the cut bear tag. We sat and talked on the side of the road for about twenty minutes and after that chat i wondered how they ever catch anybody considering the few co's there are and the vast area they have to cover.I would like to see them more often that way there is a greater chance of catching guys shooting from the road or out of there vehicle or using there vehicle as a rest.I have no problem with them using decoys to catch guys like this.

[huntwriter]

I am totally in favor of such traps for poachers. Just as I am in favor of bait cars to catch car thieves and cameras on the streets and traffic lights to catch speeders. Now if only our courts would hand out penalties that really would hurt these violators so badly that they need a lifetime to recover from it. But that is a different topic.

[abbyfireguy]

:lol: I'd like to actually spot a decoy and run over and put a hunting B.C. hat on it..8-)

[30-06]

id love to see that

[fozzy]

I agree fully with the decoy's that they use. I wish that the Game wardens had more staff, I like to see their presence in the bush. This last week of hunting I saw 2 of their trucks, one in town and the other heading into Peachland back roads.
Myself I take my hunting very seriously, I take no risks that would
jeopardize my privalage of being able to hunt. Last year one of the roads into an area I hunt Whitetails was posted as being closed. I stayed away until I verified that it was a bogus sign.
An earlier post mentioned loaded guns on quads, perfect, they should be fined, it says it's illegal right in the regs.
All the power to the officers! I'm all for it:)

[Geo.338]

One of the first cases involving the use of decoys was actually thrown out of court as the defence convinced the judge that a decoy was in fact not actually ''game " so the poacher did nothing wrong.The poacher in this case was law enforcement of some type.They put this case in front of a real judge and the guy was found guilty.The CO's need every tool in their bag to catch these scumbag poachers wether it is the first day ,last day or any other day because the poachers don't take days off or nights either.My hat is off to the CO's and the decoys.Wait till they get robotic decoys that can walk around and stuff !

[greybark]

:lol: Hey GEO.338 . Those deer robots that walk around and stuff , Do they shoot back as well????:lol:

[jaeger]

I think it is a good way of catching dishonest hunters who are giving the lawobeying hunters a bad name.

[chinooker]

I know its illegal to shoot out of a vehicle or under 15metres from secondary roads and if caught you deserve what you get.

I would like to hear some opinions on why we need these laws and what exactly is so terribley unsafe about using your window frame or other part on the truck as a rest. or shooting from the edge of the road aslong as your not shooting down the road or across it, I see no big safety problem.:-)

[RiverOtter]

Having never seen a decoy in real life, do they look realistic enough to shoot? I mean other than to the six pack hunters.

If one was set up in an open season, daylight, crown land and all legal beagle, would a real hunter be fooled into taking a shot at a stuffed critter? I pay attention to ear twitching, tail flicking, head movement etc... If a 6 point elk was standing broadside and motionless as I drove up in my truck, I would be highly suspicious.

I think decoys are a great idea and they obviously catch some poachers, but I wonder how many seasoned hunters roll up to a decoy, laugh to themselves at the lack of responsiveness from the critter and drive away with a chuckle.

RO

Edited to add: I know most decoys are set up to be obviously illegal(not enough points, wrong species, wrong sex etc.), but if they were actually legal animals, would it still be the same guys shooting or would real hunters shoot as well thinking it was the real deal?

[Marc]

These decoys are remote control and they do move an ear or twitch a tail. Move the head up and down. You just never know until someone shoots and it doesn't fall :D

[RiverOtter]

So, if you shoot one and it falls, do you get to keep it......... :razz:

RO :shock:

[Fisher-Dude]

II would like to hear some opinions on why we need these laws and what exactly is so terribley unsafe about using your window frame or other part on the truck as a rest. :-)

So just as you pull the trigger across the hood of your truck, your partner steps out of his side of the truck and you blow a hole in him. Or maybe across the box and you pop him in the head. It's illegal because it is very unsafe. They don't make laws just for the hell of it. Did they not cover this in your CORE course?

[todbartell]

if you're stupid enough and unethical enough to shoot at a deer in a situation where the G/W can nail you, you deserve everything you get. No ifs, ands, or buts.

[BCrams]

Edited to add: I know most decoys are set up to be obviously illegal(not enough points, wrong species, wrong sex etc.), but if they were actually legal animals, would it still be the same guys shooting or would real hunters shoot as well thinking it was the real deal?

They will use real, full body mounted deer for decoys (partitioned up for ease of transport).

They will use legal animals as well. Particularly set up along road ways where there is a 15 meter rule and frequently set up within view inside private property.

I think this is enough information for any of you reading this who would shoot "thinking they can drag a buck off private land fast enough" to think long and hard about the ethics of hunting.

They set up on a piece of land my Dad and I had permission to hunt one year but was also center to lots of poaching / trespassing that pissed the land owner off. We heard alot of shooting that morning and later while talking to the CO - out of some 30 vehicles driving by - all but 6 drove by without shooting at it. This included some very well known trophy hunters from Dawson Creek / Ft St John that "emptied their guns" on the decoy.

[000buck]

I think it is a great thing. I notied some talk of entrapment earlier, It would only be entrapment if a officer without identification of any sort encouraged or facilitated the actual act resulting in the charge. There is nothing to say you can't stand a realistic decoy on the side of the road but there are laws which prohibit shooting from the road or vehicles

[rocksteady]

Most of the time the decoys are placed in areas where there have been a lot of problems. If you just sat it up at the back end of some poorly travelled road, you may never get a taker.....

Most CO's are so busy that they don't have time to hunt. This is their "hunt"..No tags, no closed season, no bag limit and I know it makes them feel like they are making a difference.

Word sure gets around fast too, once they sting one individual, maybe makes everyone else think twice about pushing the envelope on legalities...

I support them 100%.

[Bigbuckadams]

I support it. Poachers aren't hunters, they are scum. Period. Most of the reasoning has been covered, so I shall leave it at that :lol: .

[Deaddog]

The co's in this province do a fantastic job given the resources they have, they help to keep both residents and guide outfitters in line. The action they have taken here makes all our lives better, good for them and they have my full support8-)

[SAVAGE300]

I saw a show on 20/20 or 60 min about poaching in the states and how much of a problem it really is, the co's set up a decoy 30 yards from a legal area ( thats where Canada got the idea ) every vehicle that stopped, stopped in exacty the same spot and 80% tryed to get a shot off before interseption and some did, the co's were only 10 ft away in the bush dressed in camo. except for the last senario where the guy got out with his gun put the gun back and grabbed his camera. was very funny to watch. You gotta wonder how many animals get poached,pitlamped hit by vehicles and so on all year, not just hunting season. Every year it seems the noose gets tighter and tighter on how many and what spieces a honest hunter can harvest. almost puts tears in my eyes. My opinion about decoys is a great thing we should have more of them and more game checks. The co's may put the decoy in a totally legal senario, but its how a person positions himself for the shot. ya know shooting out the rear passenger window from the drivers seat, out the back window or even on the fly and so on. the co's havent got the manpower nor the resouses to be on or near the miles and mile of roads we have in BC here and the fines are a joke ( just basicly a slap on the hand )It should be this way. First of all someone found to have an illegal animal should have his dick slapped with a leather belt a few times right on the spot, 20,000 fine min seised vehicle, and everything else related to the crime and put up for auction, to fund the ministry and no hunting/fishing for at 10 years for he must poach fish as well, then left to walk or thumb out of the bush in his shorts.( Sorry this is a very touchy subject for me). Then mabe just mabe the next next time he raises that gun up ( that he bought hot) because thay also took away his pal/pol too, he may think how much his dick hurt the last time he did this. if a co has as much as hunch/hint if somethings up, you invited it. Most co's are very nice and helpfull they ussually get snarly dealing with smart ass people. They are just doing a Job for what they have been trained for. Its the co's, yours and my responsibily to protect our hunting resourses now and for genarations to come. the hunter numbers in bc are falling fast and so are the harvests so whats going on?. Did I just open a new can of worms? A friend of mine and his son were out hunting for a weekend and the son shot an animal and hung it up, the co stopped in for a visit and noticed the animal, the animal fell into the trappers regulations, siesed it, fined dad 100 and the son 150 and made the son take the core again, it was just a squirril my friend, the dad told me about this, I just said should have been more, he had nothing to say with a red face,Anyways just the way I think, but thats just me ----Savage300

[Elkhound]

I am totally in favor of such traps for poachers. Just as I am in favor of bait cars to catch car thieves and cameras on the streets and traffic lights to catch speeders. Now if only our courts would hand out penalties that really would hurt these violators so badly that they need a lifetime to recover from it. But that is a different topic.


My thoughts exactly

[model88]

I call BS. Never heard of the CO's putting a legal animal out during the daylight to try to catch guys shooting out of their trucks. Maybe on private land but not under the circumstances you describe.

If people you know are complaining about CO's setting up decoys I'd question their ethics and integrity as hunters. Usually the ones that are complaining and getting angry are the ones breaking the law.

Well goat guy it aint BS its 100% true, around here they use 6 point bulls, 4 point mule deer and nice big whitetails.

Do I agree with it 100%, if you are stupid enough and desperate enough to shoot off the highway or out of your truck then you get what you deserve.

I have also heard of guys actually seeing the animal, sneeking through the ditch and making a legal attempt to harvest it. There is nothing the CO's can do about this.

[tuchodi]

I have no problem with using decoy's to catch people who break the law. We don't want them associatted with the name "HUNTER". I also give full credits to all the CO's in the province. The ones I have met are just doing their job and after they check you out they are great guy's and enjoy a coffee and a visit. I think we as hunters should be more involved in helping and Observe and Report.

[SUAFOYT]

One of the first cases involving the use of decoys was actually thrown out of court as the defence convinced the judge that a decoy was in fact not actually ''game " so the poacher did nothing wrong.The poacher in this case was law enforcement of some type.They put this case in front of a real judge and the guy was found guilty.The CO's need every tool in their bag to catch these scumbag poachers wether it is the first day ,last day or any other day because the poachers don't take days off or nights either.My hat is off to the CO's and the decoys.Wait till they get robotic decoys that can walk around and stuff !

I was wondering if anyone remembers this case and Geo.338 does. Apparently the judge that gave the pass was questioning whether the decoy was "wildlife" or not. Way too much time on this judge's hands. Now for the really scary part. That judge was in Kelowna at the time. He's now the head judge for the Supreme Court of BC. If I remember correctly it's H. Stansfield.

[elkguide]

If your dumb enough to discharge your firearm in a fashion and place disallowed by the law then your gonna get what you got commin to ya.

[Murder]

well put ratherbefishin i agree with the pitlampin at night but they are catching these guys in the middle of the day, it may just be a rumor but i believe if you get caught you should lose your licence forever!

Losing a licence wont stop these guys. They didn't have a pitlamping licence to start with. I saw a truck right here in Courtenay by Bevan Hostel a couple of weeks ago with a guy in the box with a light shining it into slashes on the side of the road. I didn't report it, but I know the truck now. All these guys doing up their "original" truck, and then when someone sees them, they help that person to recognize their vehicle...not too bright.

[Chuck]

Much discussion about bad hunters and methods used to catch them. That's all fine and dandy -go for it! I think the question was has anyone had a bad experience with a CO who wasn't playing by the rules? I've been "set up" twice in my many years of hunting and fishing by an unscrupulous or blue nasty as we call them. Realizing that got me off one time but I paid a fine the second time because they dis-allowed my argument and denied any wrong doing on their part. How could I possibly win? My advice? Be very careful and don't get so close to the edge that a shadow of a doubt exists.

[Sieg-MM]

Decoys... bait cars... same thing. Helps to keep the law in order. I see no problems with it.

If would be pretty funny though if you recongized the decoy, got out of your pick up and went and tackled it :) I wonder what the CO's woud think of that????

[Barracuda]

these things always make me chuckle. I hear of so many people that skirt the law just this once or theres only an hour left on the last day so they "bend the rules" or the one that always gets me is sense of Hillbilly entitlment, because they have been living or hunting there for years so why should they have to follow the same rules as the interlopers , newcomers or damned city folks :lol: .

the way i see it is if you do something that is contrary to the rules and regulations (which are ever evolving) then you should expect to be caught and penalized . When i lived back east i remember watching a program on the CO;s undercover work, decoys etc it was really very entertaining. The amount of guys that unload the whole mag into the decoy and still cant figure it out is really astounding.:lol:

[Rob]

Should be more Game wardens out there.

[Will]

...to shoot out his window across the road and to top it all off his truck had no insurance on it and he was driving with a suspended licence,
These are exactly the kind of Losers the Decoys Fool........
I'm Glad they do it.

I wish I could set up near a Bust and watch some of the Folks Drive up and start shooting...it would be Freakin Hilarious I'm sure:)

[Will]

I have also heard of guys actually seeing the animal, sneeking through the ditch and making a legal attempt to harvest it. There is nothing the CO's can do about this.
Get out the Needle and thread.........:lol:

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I was up at the taxidermist's a couple of weeks ago and he told me the COs had brought their decoy by for him to put a new hide on it as the last one was completely shot out:mad: . There was an article in the paper about their sting operation and the number of vehicles that took a shot at it was disgusting. I think it was more than half :eek: if I can recall correctly. Makes me sick knowing that there are that many "hunters" (and I use that term loosely) that think they are above the regulations.

SSS

[Kody94]

Chevy. I am from your area and I know the guy you are talking about. Not his first scrape with the COS is it . ya he deserves everything he gets.

Yep. He and his "sister" are famous for "not observing the law". Easy to find too...just follow the trail of budweiser cans... I am surprised it took this long really...

Cheers,
4Ster

[Kody94]

ps: I am all for CO decoys....the only thing that bothers me is how few and far between they are. Wish they had a greater presence out there. The sheer number of infractions each time they set up is justification enough.

[boonerbuck]

If it catches poachers than I'm all for it.8-)

[road warrior]

I think it has good points and bad.For the most part I think the fines were for shooting off main hiways.But what about the guy who gets out walks off the road and do'es everthing leagle.He thinks he just got himself a nice bull when all he got was foam now thats BS.

[rugeer]

They did it in Grand Forks with a Whitetail buck, it didn't matter where you shot from it was illegal I am not sure how many guy's got caught but I do know that it thinned a few hunters out in the years that followed, a good tool for a overworked policing force

[Visle]

I kinda think this whole thread has now been rendered pointless.In their decision (4-3) the Supreme Court Justices have allowed pitlamping,shooting from a vehicle ,hunting at night and shooting at decoys for some "Canadians" and claimed safety is not of overriding importance.Next time anyone other than those given the nod to slaughter game at night need only use racial discrimination as a defense.The Judges recognized in fact that the defendants had always hunted at night and used illumination in doing so ..wonder what the candlepower of a burning oolichan might be?

[mrdoog]

"He thinks he just got himself a nice bull when all he got was foam now thats BS."

Upside, it would be nice and light to drag out.
Downside, too hard to BBQ, keeps bursting into flames.

[dougan]

I seen a decoy when i was in the kootneys it was a big white tail,now i thought it was pretty sneaky were they put it . it was pretty much in the middle of but #### nowhere no houses for miles in the middle of a 200 yard deep claering but the road had a painted line on it. you can claim you wouldnt shoot it or maybe you would.given the place they had it im glad they had someone else pulled over so i didnt have to make that choice. sneaky sneaky!!!!!!!!!!!!

[talver]

Ive seen decoys in 7b funny thing is that if you are going to be breaking any laws then you have nothing to worry about. Seen some yahoo six pack hunter empty his whole clip on a Big bull moose decoy while he rested his beer on the hood of his truck this was 2years ago. I was on my way back to camp when I heard the first shot stopped and watched and this was in the middle of the day on the alaska hwy the nimrod shot across the highway and was about to reload his clip when the Cos got him.

[hunter1947]

I myself don't care what they use ,they can use anything they want to catch a person breaking the law ,if you obied by the law ,the regs ,then you will not have a problem. hunter1947.

[The Hermit]

I would think that a better plan would be to make the convicted poachers wear costumes with antlers and walk around the clear cuts at night! I figure two weeks of service would be fair.

[Byson]

i passed the decoy test it was on private land, there are lots of dumb hunters out there that should be caught

[Rainwater]

I interviewed a local Co and he actually said he liked it when guys didn't shoot the decoys. Most poachers use a neck or head shot and it wrecked the servos which make it move. They use a little bull moose in the Okanagan as a judge might throw the case out if it was a huge trophy bull sighting that the guy just "couldn't resist". More power to them.

[rollingrock]

No free/easy meal in this world. :D

[Blktail]

Bait 'em and bust 'em!

[Mattimoose]

Having never seen a decoy in real life, do they look realistic enough to shoot? I mean other than to the six pack hunters.

If one was set up in an open season, daylight, crown land and all legal beagle, would a real hunter be fooled into taking a shot at a stuffed critter? I pay attention to ear twitching, tail flicking, head movement etc... If a 6 point elk was standing broadside and motionless as I drove up in my truck, I would be highly suspicious.

I think decoys are a great idea and they obviously catch some poachers, but I wonder how many seasoned hunters roll up to a decoy, laugh to themselves at the lack of responsiveness from the critter and drive away with a chuckle.

RO

Edited to add: I know most decoys are set up to be obviously illegal(not enough points, wrong species, wrong sex etc.), but if they were actually legal animals, would it still be the same guys shooting or would real hunters shoot as well thinking it was the real deal?

We had a guy here in Ontario shoot a Bull Moose decoy from an unanchored boat with the motor in the water that was set specifically for him. He was a braggard that had no Bull Tag and had shot Moose illegally for years. Not only did he shoot from a moving boat, he shot over his wife and children's heads! Beyond that, when he had the rifle-up and ready, he hesitated and one of the hidden co's had the electronic decoy flick it's ear and that was it! Bang!

The guy had shot dozens of Moose before, and he was heading up river in broad daylight with his family and everything, all eyes on the Moose. I heard about-it and had always been so sick of hearing this guy boast about how-easy poaching was. I actually shook the hand of the CO at the post-office and told him Kudos to you on the Mechanical Moose bust and we both felt for a second that all was right in the world for a second.

[overthetop]

I think it's great...

[steel_ram]

There's no law against shooting a stuffed animal is there? We know after a recent incident on Vancouver Island that it set up in a safe place to shoot.

[mooseless]

I think it is fair, I lived in Port McNeill in 1990 and remembered coming out of the woods one evening wondering why there were so many vehicles heading up the roads. What where they up to??

[Allen50]

well i think its a good thing, to catch the ones doing the wrong thing, we all have to read and use the game reg's, to follow the rules. so if you don't go by the rules then what's the hell do we spend the time writing the game regs, why would we buy lic, or tags, hell we all should just go out and shoot anything that moves, it's a good thing, its like having posted speed limit, go fast you pay if cought, there are rules for all of us, not the choesen few that like to brake them and hope to get away with it, REMEMBER THE FAIR CHASE RULES,, and all will be good,,

[fozzy]

I wish there were more decoy's and more resources for the CO's! I know a guy who brags about the poaching he does. I have never heard it straight from the source although my hunting partner has on a couple occasions. Someday he'll get it. Worst part is his Dad is in the hunting business.

[hunter1947]

I agree with the CO on this issue. If you don't break the law then you won't get caught ,it is simple as that. Break the law and you pay. hunter 1947.

[30-378-magnum]

dont commit the crime if you cant do the time

[Mattimoose]

dont commit the crime if you cant do the time
Hell, with a .30-.378, you could shoot the decoy from the next province, and not worry about the time!LOL

[wsm]

they have a swimming moose up north. i think it's a good idea.weed out the s--t. if you break the law than you deserve it.